Dunne’s medicinal cannabis list will not help patients

Dunne’s latest announcement will make
little difference to patients and is merely a smokescreen to
hide the Government’s lack of action, says
NORML.

In a press release, Peter Dunne is trumpeting
the fact that he’s written to medical organisations to
share a list of overseas cannabis products and tell doctors
to consider cannabis products with an “open mind”.
Ironically, the content of his message to doctors shows the
ones with the most closed minds on the topic reside in his
own government office.

“Unfortunately this won’t make
much difference,” said Chris Fowlie, president of NORML
NZ Inc. “The real problems remain: the lack of funding,
and the complicated burdensome application process that puts
off patients and doctors from even applying.”

“All
medicinal cannabis products remain unfunded by Pharmac, so
they are still out of reach of most patients. Moreover, the
products on Dunne’s list are only available to a tiny
number of patients who make it through the Ministry of
Health’s ridiculously arduous application process,” said
Rebecca Reider, board member and first to legally possess
herbal medicinal cannabis.

For example, Sativex costs
around $1100 to $1400 per month, depending on each
pharmacy’s profit margin. Bedrocan and Tilray, the other
two overseas natural cannabis products listed, will also be
too expensive for most patients to afford.

In his press
release, Peter Dunne agreed Sativex is too expensive:
“Unfortunately, Sativex, the one pharmaceutical-grade
product that is available in New Zealand continues to be
extortionately priced as big pharma continues to ignore the
building resentment, both local and global, to the attitude
these companies take to the sick and
vulnerable.”

“It’s a slap in the face to all
patients that Mr Dunne is blaming ‘big pharma’ and
saying their extortionist pricing and bad attitudes are to
blame. The real problem is the attitudes of Dunne and the
National Party, who seem to think that cannabis is only a
medicine when it’s patented by an overseas company,”
said Rebecca Reider. “Why do we need a foreign corporation
to press it into a hyper-expensive form for us? We have all
the tools to grow and produce cannabis medicine right here
in New Zealand.”

Peter Dunne recently criticised patients who
protested near his home, saying “I actually don’t think
any of those people were genuinely concerned about the
people who were suffering, they were thinking about their
own selfish agendas.”

“Under Peter Dunne’s watch
patients have died waiting for approvals. It’s no wonder
they are desperate and angry,” said Chris Fowlie. “There
are plenty of things Peter Dunne and the
National Party could easily do to facilitate safe legal
access to medicinal cannabis, if they really wanted
to.”

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